In this lecture, we explore what key student indicators there are and what each of them mean - these are absolutely integral to understanding your students and targeting the support we discussed in the last lecture.

Pupil Premium (PP): Introduced in 2011, the pupil premium is a sum of money given to schools each year by the Government to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children. This is based on research showing that children from low income families perform less well at school than their peers. Often, children who are entitled to pupil premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, lack of confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality. The pupil premium is intended to directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their classmates. Schools can choose how to spend their pupil premium money, as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the children who are eligible. Schools can choose how to spend their pupil premium money, as they are best placed to identify what would be of most benefit to the children who are eligible.

Common ways in which schools spend their pupil premium fund include:

• Extra one-to-one or small-group support for children within the classroom.
• Employing extra teaching assistants to work with classes.
• Running catch-up sessions before or after school, for example for children who need extra help with maths or literacy.
• Running a school breakfast club to improve attendance.
• Providing extra tuition for able children.
• Providing music lessons for children whose families would be unable to pay for them.
• Funding educational trips and visits.
• Paying for additional help such as speech and language therapy or family therapy.
• Funding English classes for children who speak another language at home.
• Investing in resources that boost children’s learning, such as laptops or tablets.
• All children who currently qualify for FSM based on their family circumstances are entitled to pupil premium - FSM discussed below.

Special Pupil Premium (SPP): SPP is an extra £300 for pupils from families who are serving or who have served in the armed forces. SPP is not connected to disadvantage. It’s paid with the pupil premium to make it easier for schools.

Free School Means (FSM): Many students from disadvantaged families receive free school meals when they attend school. Approximately 750,000 secondary school students receive free school meals in the UK.

Students can qualify for FSM under the following:

• Universal credit, if household income is under £7,400 per year after tax, and not including any other benefits
• Income support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Child Tax Credit
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Schools can ask parents to fill in forms to determine how many of their pupils attract free school meals and the pupil premium.

Individual Health Care Plan (IHCP): Children with continuing health needs should have an individual health care plan (IHCP) that is reviewed annually or earlier if the child’s needs change. Parents should be consulted when developing an Individual Health Care Plan and any relevant health professional should also be involved. Procedures should also be put in place for transition between schools. These are usually created on a given template by a school and then shared with staff. For example, a students with diabetes will have an IHCP. These are frequently written by pastoral staff with input from medical staff and working from a wider IHCP document provided by the hospital.

Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP): Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) have been designed to help children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and set out how services will work to meet their needs. They were introduced in 2014 as part of government reforms aimed at improving outcomes for people with SEND. They replace the traditional statement. EHCPs are usually handled by the SENDCo - however you may be invited to reviews.

Looked After Children (LAC): The definition of looked-after children (children in care) is found in the Children Act 1989. A child is looked after by a local authority if a court has granted a care order to place a child in care, or a council’s children’s services department has cared for the child for more than 24 hours. On reaching the age of 18, children cease to be considered looked-after by a council.

Below this you can also find a list of common acronyms used within schools and linked with the pastoral role.